Sleeping Beauty
by Leanbh-Dorchadas
Summary: Vicki receives some shocking news, and she and Henry have to get through this one alone...Follows on from Beswitched.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It's nice to know people are following my little take on the Blood Ties universe! I'm so glad you're all enjoying…Hope this one doesn't disappoint. Oh yeah; and I don't own the rights to these characters or the premise for the show - I'm just taking them for a test drive.

xXxXxXx

He caught her eye across the bar; he had been watching her for quite a while, and had decided it was time he made a move. The young, dark-haired woman smiled back at him, raising her glass in a sort of toast in his direction, before taking a sip. She felt drawn to him; something about him made him stand out to her, made her want to march right over there to him. Being the daring, confident girl she was she did just that.

She was caught in his obsidian gaze, mesmerised by the power that emanated from him like waves onto the shore.

"You will follow me."

She smiled, as if an order like this was the most natural thing in the world and, as instructed, she followed him to a fairly private corner of the club. He brushed her dark locks over her shoulder, his eyes trained on a spot on her neck. He applied a little pressure to indicate he wanted her to tilt her head and she complied. As he sank his fangs into her pale flesh she moaned softly.

Moments later, when he was finished with her, he drew the power up from within him as before, and whispered two words into her ear.

"Sleep. Forget."

xXxXxXx

"Hello?" Vicki answered the phone, her voice betraying how tired she was. She had been working hard the past few weeks, taking full advantage of her newly improved sight. Because of this, though, she had needed quite a bit more shut-eye than usual, and this call at four in the morning was certainly unwelcome.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance. Am I speaking to Victoria Nelson?" A curt-sounding female voice came down the line.

"You are…" Vicki stretched, trying to wake herself up; a call at this time of the night from a person with that tone of voice asking that question was never a good sign.

"Ms. Nelson, I'm calling from the Schwarz-Reisman Emergency Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital." Vicki froze, wondering why the hell they'd be calling her – whatever the reason, it couldn't be good. "A young woman by the name of Coreen Fennel was admitted a few minutes ago, and you are listed as her emergency contact." The voice paused, allowing Vicki to absorb the information thus far.

"What happened?" Vicki allowed the part of her that was used to emergency situations, the trained, clear-headed, practised cop, to take over at this point; to do otherwise would mean she might just break down, and she knew she needed to keep calm until she knew what was wrong and what to do about it.

"She was brought in after collapsing in a club downtown. She's currently unconscious, so at this point we have no way of knowing what happened. All I can say is that she is in critical condition at the moment, and it would be wise for you to get here as soon as possible. We can then fill you in further."

"Ok, I understand. Thank you…"

She hurriedly got dressed, grabbed her handbag and left for the hospital. She would call Henry after she had seen Coreen; there was no time until then.

xXxXxXx

Vicki rushed through the doors of the hospital and got directions to Coreen's room. A nurse waiting outside halted her.

"I'm sorry, but unless you're family I can't allow you in there."

"I'm Vicki Nelson, I'm her emergency contact."

The nurse nodded.

"I see. Has someone informed you of her condition?"

"No. What's wrong with her?"

"Well, we're not entirely sure as of yet. There were no visible wounds or bruising to indicate she was in an accident or altercation of any kind. She's presenting with severe anaemia-like symptoms, and when we tried to take a blood sample her blood pressure was extremely low. There was nothing in her system to indicate that drugs or alcohol were involved, although she did have a small amount of alcohol in her system. We stabilised her with a transfusion, but because she's been unconscious since she arrived the cause is still anyone's guess."

"I see...Can I see her?" The nurse stepped out of the way to allow Vicki through the door.

"Keep it calm, and make sure not to disturb the equipment. I'll bring you her belongings - we had to search them to get her information."

Vicki nodded as she passed the nurse, and moved quickly to Coreen's side. The gothette was deathly pale, and looked so fragile wearing the hospital gown and oxygen mask. Vicki noticed she was still receiving blood from a pack hanging above the bed, and there was a monitor recording her heart rate. She took her pale hand gently in her own.

"Oh, Coreen…"

"Excuse me, Ms. Nelson?" An old, gentle-looking doctor was halfway in the door, waiting for the ok to come in. Vicki stood, and straightened her clothes.

"That's me."

"Hi, my name is Dr. Newman. I'd just like to ask you a couple of questions about Miss Fennel." He raised a clipboard and took a pen from a clip along the side of it.

"Of course. Anything I can do to help."

The doctor smiled kindly.

"Does she have any serious allergies?"

"No, no, I don't think so…"

Dr. Newman jotted something down before continuing.

"Is she currently on any medication?"

"No."

"I see" More scribbling on the clipboard, "Do you know what Miss Fennel may have been doing earlier tonight?"

"No, she didn't say..."

The questions continued for a few minutes, and Vicki felt positively drained afterward.

When the doctor left, Vicki thought to call Henry - he would want to know what had happened, and she could do with his comforting presence.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Hot off the press, guys! I'd love to know what you think of the premise. Any comments? Suggestions? I'd love to hear them!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so happy you guys like the story thus far, and thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Here's the next instalment…

xXxXxXx

Henry rushed to the hospital as soon as he got the call from Vicki. He found the room but was impeded by the nurse who had also stopped Vicki earlier that night.

"Are you family of Miss Fennel?" She asked, standing in his way. Vicki tapped the nurse on the shoulder from behind.

"It's ok, he's with me."

"Well unless he's family I really must insist that he doesn't go in."

"He's my husband. I called him." Vicki hadn't even batted an eyelid, but Henry couldn't help a quick twitch of the eyebrow.

The nurse looked between the two then sighed.

"I suppose that's ok. No-one else, though." She stepped aside to allow Henry into the room. Vicki didn't blame her for being strict - she knew first-hand what it was like to have to follow procedure.

Under any other circumstances Henry would have teased Vicki for the husband excuse, but he would do no such thing at that moment in time.

"Do they know what happened?"

"No, they don't…apparently all they know is some of the things it isn't. Can you tell?"

He went to stand beside the bed, and took everything in; she was deathly pale, her breathing much shallower than he would have liked, her heartbeat was erratic and her heart murmur sounded much worse than usual. She had lost a lot of blood, he could tell, and with her heart condition her body was struggling to repair itself. The transfusions had helped, but not all that much.

"She was almost entirely drained by something…" Henry looked very worried, which unsettled Vicki no end.

"Drained? As in, something took her blood?"

"It seems that way…" Henry looked both concerned and confused at the same time.

"Was it…a…vampire?"

"I can't tell, but there are a few things it might be…"

They fell silent, Henry standing behind Vicki rubbing her shoulders gently.

"Henry…is she going to be ok?" Her voice sounded childlike, looking for reassurance.

"I don't know. She's lost a lot of blood, Vicki, and with her heart…" He noticed her tense, and realised she needed the positive version, "But she's a fighter, Vicki, you know that. And it looks like they got her here in time, so…" He trailed off, not wanting to promise anything he couldn't guarantee. Instead, he soothed her using their bond, allowing calm to flow into her from him. Neither of them knew how long they stayed there, watching their friend lying in the hospital bed, but when Henry felt the sunrise approaching he had to make his exit.

"Try to get some sleep, Vic. We'll deal with the who or what of this tomorrow night." He said softly, knowing it would be foolish of him to tell her to go home. She nodded and, after a quick kiss, he left.

xXxXxXx

He felt the familiar prickling on the nape of his neck, and knew that he would need to return to sanctuary, fast. He smiled, knowing that his little message had hit its intended target. All going well, it wouldn't take too long for him to get what he wanted. His smile turned to an almost maniacal grin at the thought of finally achieving his goal. He bowed his head, thanking the fates, god, or whoever it was that was in charge, for allowing him to succeed with his first objective. All he needed now was for the pieces to fall into place at the right times…And he had done his best to ensure that much. The girl's heart problem had presented a slight challenge, but he didn't really care; she was not central to his plan. Well, excepting her current role. He turned, heading for his little hideaway for the day – he would be busy for the next little while, and couldn't afford to take any unnecessary risks.

xXxXxXx

Vicki was woken by a loud, piercing beep; she had fallen asleep not too long ago with her head resting on the end of Coreen's bed. Two nurses and a doctor burst through the door, causing Vicki to jump out of her seat. It was then that she finally registered what was going on; a chill ran down her spine as she looked to the monitors around the head of the bed and saw that the one for heart rate was registering nothing. She was ushered out of the room as someone pulled down the blinds; Vicki was completely numb – her good friend, hell, probably her best friend, was in there, possibly dying. Her heart had given out, and if they couldn't save her…Vicki shook her head, as if that would help rid her of the horrible, chilling knowledge that she may well, at that very moment, be losing Coreen. She couldn't hear anything inside the room so, feeling completely at a loss, she leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down to a sitting position, hoping that everything would turn out right and wishing that Henry could be there too.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Ok, that was quite a bit shorter than usual, so my apologies for that - I shall try my best to make up for it in the next chapter…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the lengthy suspense, guys! This story isn't coming as easily as the others, so it's taking a bit longer…Anyway, here's chapter the third!

xXxXxXx

When Henry awoke for the evening, he felt there was something wrong. His immediate reaction to this was to call Vicki, but her cell phone wasn't ringing. He dressed as quickly as he could and made his way to the hospital, going straight up to Coreen's room. It was empty, and there was no sign of Vicki.

"Mr. Nelson? Are you ok?" The nurse from the previous night had come down the corridor and spotted Henry looking panicked. She looked genuinely concerned for him.

It took Henry a moment to realise she was talking to him, but then he remembered Vicki's excuse to get him in to see Coreen.

"Where are they gone? I can't get Vicki on her cell phone and I can't find her…"

The nurse's expression darkened and took in a deep breath. She hated giving news like this.

"Your wife mustn't have called you…"

"Is she alright? Please, I need to see them."

"Look, there were some complications earlier today; Miss Fennel's illness aggravated a previously existing heart condition, and her heart stopped temporarily. The doctors did manage to revive her, but we've had to move her to the ICU. Your wife has been by her side all day."

"Can you take me to them?" Henry felt so helpless in all this; there was nothing he could do to help the situation, and he certainly wasn't used to that feeling.

"Of course." She gestured to Henry to follow her, and led him to Coreen's new room.

"There's only one visitor allowed at a time, so I'll just let your wife know you're here."

Henry nodded, and a few moments later Vicki emerged.

"Henry, I thought I was losing her…" Without hesitation she leaned toward him, and he wrapped his arms around her, offering her the small comfort she needed.

"I could feel something was wrong, I was so worried when I couldn't find you both."

She sobbed unashamedly into his chest, shaking in his arms. He held her tight, knowing that she needed to let it all out. "They said she's extremely weak, and they're not sure that she'd survive if that happened again…Henry, I can't lose her, I just can't…"

Henry could see what was coming, and his stomach sank at the thought. Vicki looked up, her eyes full of desperation.

"Could you…" she lowered her voice, "turn her?"

His expression became pained and he braced himself for her reaction.

"No."

"What?" She looked completely shocked, as if she hadn't considered the fact that he might refuse.

"I can't, Vicki. It wouldn't work. In order for a turning to take, the vampire needs to have fed from the human. If she were to drink my blood now, her body would reject it. And because of the transfusions being so recent, I can't try drinking of her now and using that blood – it just wouldn't work. I'm sorry, Vicki."

She looked up at him blankly, as if she couldn't process the fact that he couldn't help.

"Oh." She buried her head in his chest once more, but there were no more tears. When she looked up at him again, all traces of the teary, frightened woman gone. Instead, her eyes were filled with a cold determination.

"Henry, I'm going to find whoever did this. I'm going to find them, and I'm going to make them pay for it."

"No, Vicki, _**we**_ will."

She nodded, understanding that he had to do this, too.

Vicki returned to Coreen's side. Henry saw her lean low down and gently put her arms around Coreen's limp body. He saw her lips move, but what words passed from them he couldn't tell, nor did he want to. It was personal; Vicki was saying goodbye, just in case the younger woman was gone when she returned. When she emerged, Henry went in and said a prayer for Coreen; it was the only thing he could do. When he was finished, he went to Vicki and they headed out into the night, on the hunt for whoever, or whatever, had done this to their friend.

xXxXxXx

He watched them exit the hospital from a safe distance; he couldn't risk Henry seeing or smelling him around. If he was spotted before the time was right, his plan would be ruined. He watched, noticing the way Henry walked, shoulders slumped slightly, and he knew that the other vampire was beginning to feel the helplessness that he wanted him to. When he studied the human, though, he didn't like what he saw; instead of the broken woman he had hoped for, he saw her determination, her need to revenge the hurt of her friend. But she was inconsequential; one minute alone with her and he would take care of her. After all, how much of a threat could an almost blind human pose to him? He would simply enthral her, and snap her neck. Or perhaps he would drain her, too…But not yet – the moment had to be right. He watched them leave, and suspected that they would go to the club Coreen had 'collapsed' at. How naïve doctors were, they had no clue as to what had really happened to their patient. But then again, that worked out al the better for him. They left his sights, and he decided to follow a safe distance behind, wanted to watch them struggle to piece together the parts of a puzzle they didn't know the design of. How he would enjoy watching Henry crumble and taking his territory from him, just as Henry had done to him all those years ago. He scowled, leaving his hiding place to follow behind them.

xXxXxXx

When they arrived at the club, they questioned the bar staff to no avail. Henry tried to get a scent of what might have been there, but there wasn't a trace of anything unusual. He hadn't really expected there to be. As they went back out into the cold night Vicki felt a vaguely familiar tingling on the back of her neck, and Henry noticed her hesitate.

"What is it, Vicki?"

"Henry, is it…near dawn or anything?"

"No, not for another few hours. Why? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Can you feel anything…odd?"

"Odd?"

"Yeah, odd…" Suddenly, Vicki realised what it was that she was feeling. She whispered her revelation close to Henry's ear; she couldn't risk anyone else hearing what she was saying. "It's a vampire, Henry, another vampire. Close. It's just like when I could sense David…can you feel it too?"

Henry's eyes widened, wondering whether Vicki had, indeed, sensed something that he had not. He stood stock still, concentrating…after a few moments, he realised that he did, indeed feel something odd. How had he missed it?

"You're right…" He said, his voice sounding strained. There was another vampire, and if that was the case, there was going to be trouble. Serious trouble. Vicki could be in danger, too… "Act naturally; we'll go back to my place and talk where it's safe." He forced himself not to glance around in search of the other vampire.

"Ok…" Vicki kissed him quickly before they turned for Henry's condo; they had alot to discuss.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Hope the length makes up for the delay! As always I'd love to know what you guys thought!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews – they really help keep me going. I've tried to be as accurate as I can with the French in this chapter, but it's been a year since I spoke it last so I'm a bit rusty!

xXxXxXx

Only when they were safely inside the condo did either of them speak.

"Vicki, this is serious. I could have a turf war on my hands…Not to mention the fact that it's likely Coreen was targeted specifically, which means that you're in danger too. I need to find out who this is…You need to stay here. It's vitally important." He made to move to the door.

"Henry, there's no need to protect me from this – I can handle myself. Besides, I want to be the one to bring whoever it is down."

"I will not allow you to be in danger. I just won't."

"And I'm saying I won't be in danger – I can take care of myself."

"I know you can…I just couldn't stand to see you hurt, too…" His tone had relaxed, and Vicki took his hand in hers, comforting him.

"So, how do we deal with this?"

"All we can really do is track him or her down, and be prepared for when we find them."

"Hey, you couldn't lend me those vamp powers again? They were pretty helpful…"

Henry smiled sadly, wishing that he could, indeed, share his strengths with her. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Yeah, didn't think so. Oh well…" She smiled at him.

"If I could…"

"I know" Vicki checked the time, then gasped as she realised she had been away from Coreen for nearly five hours. "I should get back, check on Coreen…"

Henry hesitated, wondering exactly how he could say what he wanted to say without upsetting or annoying Vicki; she just looked so tired, so fragile…she desperately needed to sleep, and have a good meal.

"I think you should have a rest before you go back. You'll be no good to Coreen half asleep. And if you encounter the other vampire…"

Vicki nodded slowly.

"Well I'll call before I rest. Just to be sure."

A small smile played at Henry's lips as she rummaged through her bag for her cell phone. _"And Vicki thought she had no maternal qualities…"_

She stayed at the condo that night, Henry watching over her as she slept until he fell into his own kind of sleep at dawn.

xXxXxXx

He had watched them; Henry, and the blonde, who he had learned was Vicki Nelson, and the younger woman, with a penchant for black, Coreen Fennel. He had watched them for weeks. He had…persuaded a few select people to give him information about the women; Henry, he knew all about. Or all he needed to know, anyway. Basing his plan on their weaknesses, he had figured it all out perfectly. And, from what he could see, it was working. Rather well. And Henry deserved everything that he was going to get. He scowled, remembering in painful detail the circumstances of his first meeting with the undead prince.

"_Pardonnez-moi__, monsieur!" The well dressed young gentleman called out down the deserted street at him. He scowled, knowing he had found the one he was looking for. He had lived in Paris for nearly twenty years, and he was out hunting for this young upstart of a vampire who had dared to move in on his territory; he had felt the younger vampire's presence for some time. He turned, fixing a polite smile on his features; he would show this boy what happens when you encroach on an older vampire's territory. Pity he wouldn't live to remember the lesson._

"_Ah, __c'est __vous__! __J'ai __vous __cherché __il__ y a __deux __nuits__. __Bienvenu __á__ Paris. __Mais__, __je __dois __vous__ dire: __vous __ne __pouvez__ pas __rester__ la."_

_Henry smiled cordially back, understanding him perfectly. But he would not be leaving. He knew exactly what happened when one vampire entered into the territory of another, and he was ready for it. In fact, he was almost certain that he would come out on top. Such was the confidence of royal youth._

"_Au contraire, __mon __ami__. __Je __sais __que __vous __étés__ le plus __âges __ici__, __mais __c'est __vrai aussi __que__ les __années__ on __rendre__ plus en plus __lents__ et…__lourds__." He grinned mockingly at the other vampire, waiting for him to make his move. He saw the shadow of anger cross his face, and readied himself for a fight. But he didn't get one. The other vampire drew himself up regally, almost putting to shame Henry's own condescending expression, and laughed at him._

"_Ah, __mon __dieux__! Les __folies __du __jeunesse__!" His expression became deadly serious, and he allowed his eyes to bleed to black and bared his fangs at the younger vampire before continuing in heavily accented but perfect English, "Leave Paris tonight. If I find you in my territory again, I will kill you. Now go, young one, before I change my mind and decide to get it over with now." With that, he left, feeling rather smug; he had saved himself a fight and also shown the younger vampire his place in the world. He hummed as he walked away._

That was not the last he saw of Henry. Henry had, eventually, taken his territory from him and nearly killed him in the process. He had regretted not killing him on the spot ever since, and the only soothing thought he had was that, at last, he had tracked him down and would get his revenge.

xXxXxXx

Henry awoke at sunset to find himself alone his condo. He had not expected Vicki to stick around if she woke early, but he had hoped she might sleep long enough that she might still be getting ready to leave. No such luck. All that was left was the lingering remnants of her scent in the room. He closed his eyes, breathing in her aroma for a moment, before shaking his head and getting up; he had things to do that night, and he needed to start immediately.

Once he was dressed, he contemplated taking his father's sword on the hunt with him, but quickly thought the better of that – he would need no weapon against one of his own kind. He set off into the night, aware that he was betraying Vicki a little by going by himself. But he couldn't allow himself to feel guilty for it; he would not have her drawn into a fight that was his – his territory, his responsibility. Her short time as a vampire would have given her some understanding of his reasoning, but her need to revenge Coreen's injuries would cloud her judgement, and she wouldn't listen. Besides, she had gone to Coreen's bedside when she could have stayed and gone on the hunt with him. He forced his mind onto other things; his senses, his intuition, trying to find the other vampire. It would not be easy, and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

xXxXxXx

"Good evening, Victoria. I see you have come out without your companion." The unfamiliar voice stopped her in her tracks. She thought she could detect a slight accent to it, probably French.

"Yeah, well, we're not attached at the hip…" She searched the shadows for the source of the voice, but couldn't find it. "Do I know you?"

"Ah, of course. My apologies, my manners have deserted me…"

Suddenly, a tall, slim man appeared in front of her. Under other circumstances she might have thought him somewhat attractive; his dark complexion and hair were complemented by keen green eyes, and he was dressed in a style not unlike Henry's, yet set apart from it, too.

She didn't even flinch at his sudden appearance, which delighted him. She was so brave; she would be a pleasure to take apart...

"My name is Francois."

xXxXxXx

A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to get up here, but I think I should be rather quick with the next chapter! ;) I hope you enjoyed, and as always I'd REALLY love to know what you guys thought.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok, as one of you - cough, Luinlothana, cough! ;) - predicted, things get a little more interesting here…Hope you like!

xXxXxXx

"Francois, huh? Well, I see you already know my name, so…"

"You don't need that sword. Drop it." Vicki recognised the coercive tone to his voice, and decided to play along. She needed to find out a little about this guy before she beheaded him. So, doing her best to seem natural, she dropped the sword and tried to look confused. He chuckled softly, the sound raising the hairs on the back of Vicki's neck, but not from fear; she was angry. She wanted to lunge at him, show him what he was going to get for messing with her friend, and with her and Henry's city. Instead, though, she played it cool. She knew Henry would be out searching by then, and decided to try to help him along. She took a good look around, noting where she was and, keeping an eye on Francois, she concentrated as hard as she could on 'sending' it to Henry.

"That's the problem with mortal minds, you see…so fragile, impressionable…"

"So, what brings you to Toronto? I mean, the tourist attractions close at night, so that's not it…"

"Ah, yes. I am here to settle a score with a mutual…acquaintance. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to kill you to do it. I do regret that, you seem rather a nice woman." He was watching her with the eyes of a predator, carefully sizing her up.

"You think we could reschedule that? I'm kinda busy for the next few days…how's your Saturday night?"

He was surprised by her confidence…or stupidity. Did she honestly think she stood any chance against him? Henry would not be able to track them down for a while yet, and she was merely a human woman. He growled, losing his cool at her lack of respect for him.

"You think you, a human, could take on a six-hundred year-old vampire? I could order you to jump in front of a passing car and you would do it."

Vicki smiled, feeling Henry's familiar presence nearby. Francois just saw it as mocking.

He leaned in toward her, so their noses were nearly touching.

"Give me your wrist."

"Go to hell!" Vicki met his gaze as she punched him square on the jaw. He reeled from the force of the blow; she had caught him off guard. Henry appeared behind Francois.

"Vicki, are you alright?" He focussed his now coal-black gaze on the other vampire, the anger at the sight of him in his territory nearly taking him over entirely.

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

Francois whipped around to see Henry.

"Quel bon surprise! Monsieur Fitzroy."

"Francois LeGac. What do you think you're doing here?"

"I am merely admiring my future conquest. Toronto, it is a very lovely city…"

Henry growled, the sharp points of his fangs bared. But it was Vicki who responded.

"Toronto is ours; and I'd suggest you leave before we remove you ourselves."

Henry's eyebrows rose slightly at her comment, but he said nothing as he circled Francois to stand behind Vicki.

"You think I will go on the orders of a half-blind, mere mortal?"

Vicki's eyes narrowed; she was tired of talking. She lunged forward, her hands circling his neck before he had a chance to react.

"Firstly, I'm not half-blind. And secondly," she paused and punched him hard in the chest, "I'm no _**mere**_ mortal."

Francois stumbled backward, but before Henry could take over he spoke.

"Wait! You can't attack me. Do you want your friend, Coreen, to stay asleep forever?"

They both stopped, and before either could respond, he was gone. They didn't give chase.

"What do you think he meant?" Vicki asked, her eyes still on the spot Francois had disappeared from.

Henry was looking at Vicki, his expression caught between confusion and awe.

"Vicki, didn't you notice what you just did?"

She looked at him, her expression indicating she was awaiting further explanation.

"You took on a vampire."

"Huh?" She hadn't really thought about what she was doing, she had just done it. Now that she thought about it, though, she realised she probably shouldn't have been able to do what she had done. "Oh…" She turned to look at him, wondering if maybe he had an explanation.

"Do you feel any different?"

"No, I don't…do you?" Their slight worry was understandable, after what had happened the last time Vicki discovered a new set of…talents.

"No."

Neither spoke for a moment, but Henry could tell that the cogs in Vicki's mind were turning; she was going through the evidence and she just might have a conclusion.

"Hey, what if it's because of last night? You remember – I said something about lending me your powers…"

Henry thought back, realising that he had, indeed, mulled over the idea after she mentioned it. And he had been thinking about how much easier it would be if he could share his abilities…

"It's happened again, hasn't it?"

He smiled at her ability to make such an occurrence sound so mundane.

"I think it has."

"Well, I was out in the sun today, and I ate…"

"It's not the same as last time – we were talking about something much more specific, and it seems that's what we got."

"I really wish there was an after-care manual for free-will-sharing rituals…" It came out in her usual sarcastic tone, but she was smiling.

"That would be helpful. For now, though, we'll have to figure it out by ourselves."

Vicki's expression darkened for a moment, then that steely resolve Henry loved about her settled on her features.

"Not by ourselves. We'll have Coreen…"

She held out her hand, and he took it in his own, knowing where she was going to lead him.

xXxXxXx

When they arrived at the ICU they were informed that there was no change in Coreen's condition. While the doctor's reassurance that no change was better than a change for the worse was appreciated, the other vampire's implied threat had made them think there might be more to her coma than the medical profession could know. Henry had 'convinced' the doctor to let them both into Coreen's room.

"Do you think he put a spell on her?" Vicki sat in the chair beside the bed, taking the younger woman's pale hand in her own.

"No, I sense no magic around her." Henry was studying her intently, using all his senses to try and find out what might be wrong with her. He tilted his head slightly to the side, and Vicki knew he might have something.

"What?"

"Her breathing, her pulse…It's all almost normal. Like she's just sleeping…"

"Well she _**is**_ in a coma…"

Impatience flashed across Henry's features, but he kept himself in check.

"Do you remember, when you were vampire, you could tell whether or not things felt…natural?"

"Yeah…"

"Well this feels almost exactly like normal sleep. If she were in a coma, it would feel…different, deeper…But there's something not quite right about it…"

Suddenly, realisation dawned on him.

"He didn't use magic, Vicki; he used his powers of persuasion. He literally told her to go to sleep, and she did…"

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A/N: I'm not sure that I'm 100 percent happy with this chapter, so your opinions would be greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks so much for the positivity, guys! I hope you like this instalment too!

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"So…wake her up, then!" Vicki said shrilly, wondering why Henry hadn't just done it already.

"I'm not sure I can…"

"What do you mean? Surely you just have to…you know…do it?"

"Vicki, the only reason her body has responded so strongly to his order was because he very nearly drained her dry – that kind of connection is usually followed by a turning. He had her life in his hands, her blood in his veins. If it was a normal order, she would have woken by now. If I wanted to wake her, I would have to drain her, too. And her body just couldn't take that so soon after the last time. It would kill her."

Vicki merely looked up at him from her chair, her mouth slightly open. Henry closed his eyes, wishing he could do something to fix all this; it was a feeling he was growing accustomed to lately…

"What if we both tried?"

He opened his eyes, looking back at Vicki questioningly.

"Well think about it; I've got some vamp-mojo of my own going on, and you've got yours…what if we tried doing it at the same time? Give her a double-whammy of persuasion. I've done it before; I remember how it works…sort-of…"

Henry's jaw tightened a little at the reference to her night alone as a vampire; he had never actually asked her about the details of what she had done, fearing what she might tell him about the man she had fed from. He, of all people, knew he shouldn't feel jealous or allow himself to be upset about it if anything did happen; it was his fault she was alone and angry to begin with, after all, but he couldn't help it – he couldn't stand the thought of her with another man. If he had to remain ignorant of what happened to keep such notions from his mind, so be it. It didn't escape her attention, but they had more important things to talk about.

"That could work, assuming you have regained that ability."

"Well even if I haven't, we could arrange for me to get it back."

"True…" The true potential of their bond suddenly became apparent to both of them, and they were silent for a few moments.

"Henry, if this thing can do this sort of thing whenever we want it to…" She trailed off, not sure how to articulate the gravity of the realisation.

"I know; the possibilities are…endless. Amazing…"

"You could walk in the day…"

"We could be together forever." He looked a little shy as he said it, wondering what her reaction would be.

"We could…" She half-smiled at him, but the intimacy of the moment was ruined by the entrance of a male nurse.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, I've come to let you know Coreen will be moved back out of the ICU. Her vitals have stabilised and there's been no change for sufficient time that we believe she's past the danger zone."

"That's great news…"

"It is. It was touch and go there for a while, but her heart seems to have recovered somewhat. Now all we need is for her to wake up."

"Yeah…could we have a minute before you start moving her?"

"Sure. I'll be right outside when you're ready." The nurse left, closing the door behind him.

Henry's eyes moved from Vicki, to Coreen, and back again.

"We'll talk about it later, ok?" Vicki said, reassuring him. She knew he would assume that she would avoid finishing their previous conversation like the plague, but that wasn't what she had in mind at all. Henry's expression relaxed at her words, and he smiled at her. They called the nurse back in and they waited outside for Coreen to be moved.

When she was finally moved, Vicki and Henry were directed to her new room. It was slightly larger than the last one, and they noticed that some of the monitors had been removed. After a few minutes, Henry broke the silence.

"We should try…" He stopped, gesturing at the small, pale form of Vicki's assistant and their mutual friend on the bed between them. Vicki nodded, and moved around the bed to be beside Henry. He took her hand in his, and they could each tell that the other was ready. Concentrating hard on what they wanted to achieve, both spoke at the same time, needing no signal.

"Wake up, Coreen."

Nothing happened.

Vicki almost cried, until she felt Henry tighten his grasp on her hand. He could hear Coreen's breathing quicken slightly, and could tell that she was, indeed, waking up. After a few long moments her eyelids fluttered open and she yawned. It took her another moment to become coherent, but when she did, the first thing she said was certainly not something they had expected.

"Miss Nelson, what are you doing here? Why am I in hospital?" She paused, noticing Henry's presence. "Who are you?"

Vicki looked truly alarmed, and, after sharing a look with Henry she quickly went to get help.

Almost immediately Vicki returned, a young female doctor in tow. She looked at the chart on the end of Coreen's bed and tried to keep the expression of surprise from her face as she saw Coreen was, indeed, wide awake.

"Miss Fennel! Welcome back! You certainly had us worried there for a while. Do you mind if I check you over?"

"Sure…"

As the doctor checked her pulse, her pupil dilation and her limb movements Vicki and Henry hovered anxiously.

"Doctor, is there usually any memory loss associated with coma patients? She doesn't seem to remember the past few months and…"

The doctor fixed a reassuring smile on her face.

"Often it can take some time for patients to…catch up with themselves, so to speak. It's not uncommon for some memory difficulties, but usually it takes only a little while for patients to recover their memories."

"Usually?" Henry said, folding his arms across his chest.

The doctor hesitated for a fraction of a second, and both Vicki and Henry picked up on it.

"Well, in a small number of cases, the patient can take months to fully recover…and in a tiny fraction they don't. But there's no need to be concerned about that yet, in all likelihood Miss Fennel will regain her memories within the next few days. For now, after a rest tonight it would be very helpful to talk to her about the time she can't remember, jog her memory, as it were." With that, she breezed by them and left.

"Miss Nelson?"

"Coreen, call me Vicki, please…" She looked to Henry for a moment, before returning her attention to Coreen. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Coreen looked confused, then a shadow of pain crossed her features.

"Ian was murdered. I remember the day I went to your office, and you said you'd check it out…I went home and…and…" she paused, "I don't know…"

Vicki sighed.

"Ok, well, you seem to be missing out on a lot of time…Coreen, this is Henry Fitzroy. You two are friends."

"Sorry…" Coreen shrugged.

"Don't be." Henry said, trying not to sound worried.

"Can't we just, you know…" Vicki trailed off, not knowing how much she could say in front of a Coreen that didn't remember what Henry was. As far as Coreen was concerned, a vampire had killed Ian, and she mightn't take too kindly to Henry of she found out what he was.

Henry shook his head.

"No, it's too much...it's not as simple as waking her, those memories have been locked away, and there are so many…maybe the doctor's right; in time, they'll come back. She has just woken up, after all."

"What happened to me, Vicki?" Coreen broke into the conversation.

"We don't know…we were hoping that when you woke up, you could tell us, but…"

Coreen nodded slowly.

"So…when is it? Now, I mean? How much have I forgotten?"

"A little over a year…after we figured out what murdered Ian, you became my assistant. We've been through a lot together since then."

"Was it a vampire?" Coreen looked hopefully at Vicki.

"No, it definitely wasn't a vampire."

"Oh…well you did say what…"

"Maybe you should rest tonight, huh? We can talk about this tomorrow."

"Alright…"

"Goodnight, Coreen."

"Goodnight Miss…sorry, Vicki. Henry."

Henry and Vicki left, deciding they'd both stay at Henry's place that night – they had things to discuss, and neither wanted to let the other out of their sight.

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A/N: Just when they thought it was all over…I'm sorry this is taking so long, but I'm glad you guys are sticking with it! :)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: After a gruelling few weeks studying for my exams, I'm finally back! I'm so sorry this update was so long in the writing…I hope you guys are still interested, and that you like where I've gone with this chapter…

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The car journey to the condo was spent in silence, neither Henry nor Vicki quite sure how, exactly, to break it. So much had been happening to them lately, and they had so much to deal with that the list of things they had to 'talk about later' seemed very lengthy. Coreen's memory lapse, Francois' intrusion and their rapidly deepening bond, bringing with it so many possibilities for both of them, all clamoured for attention in their thoughts. By the time they arrived at the condo, the silence had become natural, and Vicki felt the odd urge to whisper when she finally spoke.

"We need to deal with Francois. Tonight." Though she spoke quietly, her tone hid none of the malice she felt for the other vampire.

Henry nodded in agreement.

"He must be removed from my…" he paused, allowing his mind test the words before he said them and, finding them very pleasing, he continued, "our territory." He grinned at Vicki, who found the idea of 'their' territory quite pleasing, too, and grinned right back.

"How do we do this?" Vicki asked, shocking Henry slightly with her patience; not a virtue she usually displayed.

"All we need to do is find him, and kill him."

"Don't you wanna…I don't know, make a plan of something?" Henry was seeming altogether too hasty for her liking, and she was concerned it might be down to his territorial instincts.

"We don't need one." He watched her, waiting to see if she'd catch on by herself. It took her a moment, but he soon saw realisation dawn on her features.

"Of course we don't…" One side of her lip curled into the beginning of a smile and, without speaking further, they both turned and left; they had urgent business to attend to.

xXxXxXx

Francois had not returned to his current sanctuary. Instead, he had run as far and as fast as he could across town. He had made it out into the suburbs before he needed to stop; his ability to move so swiftly was not meant to be used long-distance, and doing so had tired him somewhat. He made his way to a small park and found a bench to sit down on. His plan to break Fitzroy's spirit had failed, thanks to a stroke of luck on Victoria Nelson's part. She had ruined it all, and now all that was left was a vampire-on-vampire fight to the death. His self-assuredness was faltering; perhaps it had been a mistake to come here, to challenge one who had defeated him so long ago. But then, how could he have stood by and allowed his pride to remain wounded? He nodded, realising he was right to have come, and knowing that when Henry came for him, he would be ready. And after he ridded himself of the other vampire, he would show the mortal woman what she got for disrespecting him. There were many hours of darkness left, and he was sure Henry would be searching for him. Francois planned quickly, deciding to let the other vampire come all the way out to him. He needed to feed, to replenish his strength before the other vampire arrived, giving him a slight advantage. He would return to this park; secluded and deserted as it was it would make a fine location for his victory.

xXxXxXx

With Vicki able to keep up with him, Henry was able to leave the car behind and search with her on foot, making the process much easier and faster. It took them some time, but they eventually caught up with Francois. He had been expecting them, and seemed to have chosen the location for their…meeting. He was sitting on a park bench, facing away from them.

"Ah, Monsieur Fitzroy. Vouz avez apporter votre…jouet. Quelle bonne surprise."

"We offered you the chance to leave of your own accord." Henry ignored Francois' remark about Vicki – he would not allow such…human tactics to work on him.

"Now, you're gonna pay for messing with us."

Francois stood slowly and turned to face them.

"Surely you are not going to allow this…" he waved a hand dismissively at Vicki, "to claim ownership of your territory?"

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that sharing is caring?" Vicki commented, her eyes trained on Francois. Henry half-smiled but said nothing.

"So, you are both going to take me on?" Francois moved away from the bench and onto the grass.

Henry and Vicki didn't bother to continue the small-talk; they needed to get this over with. They both lunged forward in unison, and thus the fight began. Francois had no time to allow himself to be shocked at Vicki's vampire-like agility and strength; they were so coordinated, so tuned into each other that he almost felt he was fighting two parts of the same person. That was the last thought that crossed his mind before a blow from a long, sharp sword took his head off.

Vicki swung the sword around once more, feeling ecstatic and strangely aroused by the win. She sensed Henry was feeling much the same, and before she had time to compose an appropriately seductive comment he had lunged at her, knocking her roughly onto the grass away from Francois' body. They still had some time before dawn, and both fully intended on celebrating the defeat of the other vampire right there and then.

xXxXxXx

Vicki had elected to stay at the condo yet again. They had left Francois' body for the sun to take, and had returned to Henry's apartment at a leisurely pace. The immediate threat was gone, and both felt as if a burden had lifted from their shoulders. They had gone straight to bed, both needing a rest after the night before.

"So…thanks for the vamp powers, I guess…" Vicki said, her head resting on Henry's chest.

"You're welcome…" He stroked her soft hair gently.

"You want anything…human?" He heard her heartbeat quicken slightly, and smiled as he realised that was her way of broaching the topic of their bond.

"Just you…" His voice had begun to sound tired, which told Vicki dawn was approaching. There would be time to discuss it more the next night. For right then, though, Vicki needed to sleep, and Henry had to. She closed her eyes, allowing sleep to slowly take her.

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A/N: Ok, I'm a bit rusty at the ol' writing, so I hope this chapter hasn't disappointed! Please let me know what you thought?!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I realised just a few days ago how long it's been since I updated, and the shock must have jolted me back to writing-mode! It's LONG – don't say I didn't warn you! Hope you like…

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Henry awoke at sunset, surprised to find Vicki still sleeping soundly. He propped himself up on one elbow, watching her as she slept. He could hear that she was wakening, and couldn't help but smile as, after a few minutes, her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, you…" Her voice was still slightly husky from sleep, and her beauty in that moment almost took his breath away.

"Hey…" He replied as he reached over to brush a lock of hair behind her ear.

The peace that she felt at just that simple touch was indescribable; she could hardly believe that she had come to depend upon and accept Henry so much in the past few months, and yet she couldn't imagine not being so close to him.

"You're beautiful…" He whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"So are you…" She ran her fingers through his soft curls then lightly brushed his cheek.

They lay silent for a while, enjoying each other's presence, needing no words to tell each other how complete they felt.

"So…what are we gonna do about Coreen?" Vicki broke the silence, needing to talk to him about it before they went to visit her a little later.

"I don't know…maybe it would be best if she stayed with you for a while…if she would like to. The girl we're dealing with now, she's not the one we knew. And she won't be 'til she gets her memories back. Having you around might be good for her…"

"It's gonna be hard, having to go through Ian's murder with her again, and filling her in on what her life has been…"

He didn't say it, but she felt it – he would be there for her, with her, every step of the way. Whether it took days or years, he would stick by her and Coreen. She smiled, the reassurance having the desired effect.

"And what about us?" She met his gaze almost nervously.

"I love you…" He said quietly.

"I love you, too…" She replied, with no hesitation.

"Vicki, I never imagined that the ritual that night would bring us to this point, that we would become what we are to each other now…Nor did I ever dare to hope to have someone to share my life with in the way that I do, that I can, with you. Any happiness I ever had with anyone before can never measure up to the joy you have given me, and to be able to dream of a future with you where ageing or turning won't eventually take you from me is something I could never allow myself to do before. But now that I can, I swear to you that I will stand by you," he paused, never breaking eye contact, "forever." She could hear in his voice, feel it emanating from him, that he truly meant it. "If you'll have me…" He trailed off, waiting for her response.

"I can think of no better way to spend eternity…" Vicki replied, smiling slightly.

"We'll have to be careful about this, Vic…if we aren't things could turn very bad."

"I get it; if we're both too vampy at the one time, those charming territorial instincts could kick in."

"Exactly." Henry said, a small grin on his features at her…direct way of phrasing the problem.

"We'll be fine," Vicki responded firmly, "it's not like it's hard to know what the other's thinking – all we have to do is not do anything unplanned and there won't be a problem."

Henry smiled, knowing from experience that 'not doing anything unplanned' would be harder than Vicki expected, but not wanting to point that out. There would be time enough to cover the 'what if's' later. For now, Vicki needed to go see Coreen. She seemed to be thinking much the same as he, because at that moment she leapt out of the bed and returned, moments later, with wet hair and wearing only a towel.

"That is gonna be so useful…" She grinned at Henry before dashing around the room in search of clothes and dressing in the blink of an eye.

xXxXxXx

Vicki visited Coreen every day for the next fortnight and had filled her in on the tamer aspects of her work in the P.I. office and their friendship. Coreen's health had improved somewhat and she was beginning to feel at ease with Vicki and also Henry, who had visited from time to time.

Coreen was asleep when she arrived, and Vicki almost felt bad for waking the younger woman; she looked so peaceful, so restful, that Vicki thought she looked almost angelic. Gently, she shook Coreen awake, saddened that the woman that looked up at her was not really her Coreen.

"Hi, Vicki."

"Hey, Coreen. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Still no, y'know, memories or anything…" The disappointment in Coreen's voice was almost heartbreaking for Vicki; Coreen was like family to her and there was nothing she could do to help her.

"On the upside, the doctors said that I can be discharged whenever I'm ready. I'll have to come back for check-ups to make sure my heart is ok, but they said I should be fine otherwise. Just no stress or anything." Coreen thought she saw Vicki's smile falter for a split second, but the cheerful expression was back so quickly that she couldn't have been sure. Still, she was positive that this woman was hiding things from her, and Coreen wanted desperately to remember the past few months; maybe then she would know what was going on.

"That's great news, Coreen…Henry and I, well, we were thinking that maybe you'd like to stay with me until you get your memories back. Heck, you practically lived at my office, so that's bound to bring something back for you."

Coreen smiled at Vicki's attempt to lighten the mood, but, failing to remember actually spending more than ten minutes in the office, she didn't really find it amusing.

"I don't know, Vicki…I mean, I'd rather go back to my place…It's what I'm used to…" Coreen's stomach twisted guiltily as she noticed Vicki's smile fade. This time it didn't come back.

"Sure, of course….I should have known. But you can still have your job, if you want it…and I'll be around, you know, if you need anything…" Vicki looked away, not wanting to seem upset by Coreen's decision.

"That'd be great, Vicki. Thanks. Actually, I was wondering if maybe I could start back soon this week? I know I'll just be getting out, but it'd be good for me to get back to my usual routine…whatever that is…" Coreen offered a small smile, which Vicki returned, glad that Coreen was planning on sticking around.

"I'd really like that. If you like I could drive you home today? If you're ready to do that…"

"Yeah, I think I am…"

Vicki collected and packed away Coreen's belongings while Coreen organised her discharge paperwork. A strict lecture from the on-call doctor about avoiding stress and 'over-excitement' to allow Coreen's heart to fully recover had Vicki feeling somewhat on-edge and she was very much relieved to finally get out of the hospital. After they left, she dropped Coreen home and returned to the condo.

xXxXxXx

She didn't know what the shrill sound was, but if it didn't stop soon it was going to wake her up. And then she'd be mad. Naturally, it didn't and, as consciousness forced itself upon her she slowly realised that it was her cell phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Vicki…Hi…um… I'm outside your office. I don't have your home address written down at my place…" Coreen's voice was shaking, and Vicki could hear the fear in her tone. She immediately snapped to attention.

"Coreen, listen carefully – take a cab to Yonge and Bloor, tell the driver to go two blocks past Yonge then turn into the drive for the apartment building. Cab driver'll know where you mean. I'll be waiting at the door. Everything's going to be ok."

Coreen arrived wearing her black cloak over her pyjamas and a pair of black, chunky boots. She ran to Vicki and held her in a tight bear hug, burying her head in the older woman's shoulder.

Vicki guided Coreen gently to the elevator and from there into Henry's, sitting down on the couch with her.

"Talk to me, Coreen, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Vicki, I really am…I didn't know who else to call…I had a horrible nightmare…it was so real…I just couldn't be alone..."

"Tell me about it…" Vicki put her hand on Coreen's back in a soothing gesture, waiting for Coreen to speak.

"I dreamt I was in some sort of a loft, but I couldn't move, or speak…This guy was there, ranting about sacrifices and you were just lying on the floor…Then this thing showed up, all glowing, and I tried to scream but no sound came out and Henry arrived too, with a book…I woke up, then…I know you probably think it sounds crazy but it felt so _**real, **_I was so terrified, I..." Coreen paused, noticing Vicki stiffen slightly. When she looked up, Vicki looked pale and serious.

"Don't worry about it, Coreen…It was just a nightmare. You want a glass of water?"

Coreen nodded, slightly confused by Vicki's reaction. Vicki disappeared into the kitchen and, seconds later, Henry appeared next to her; having heard an extra heartbeat he had entered as quietly as he knew how.

"Why is Coreen here?"

"She had a nightmare…about the night Norman performed the summoning, Astaroth appearing…Henry, we can't say a word – her doctors said no stress for a few weeks…Putting all this on her now could be too much." Vicki whispered, her tone indicating finality.

Henry could poke a million and one holes in that plan, not least the fact that having an un-informed mortal hanging around his apartment would be extremely risky for her earlier 'not doing anything unplanned' plan, and so, grabbing at the first idea he had, he did something very much unplanned. He took her hand and, concentrating, used their bond to take away his need to sleep for the day.

"It would be dangerous to sleep with the possibility of her barging in and bringing sunlight with her." He whispered. The sound of his heart beating filled Vicki's ears and she had to force it from her mind.

"Now what?"

"I don't know, Vicki. We could be endangering her by telling her, but we are endangering all three of us by not telling her."

"Vicki?" Coreen's voice came from the other room, calling both of their attention back to the fact that she was there, waiting. Vicki looked apologetically at Henry before Returning to Coreen, a glass of water in hand.

Henry sighed, very much unhappy with the situation. And yet, no immediate solution presented itself. For now, he and Vicki would just have to keep their mouths shut and wait and see what happened, even if that meant lying to Coreen. 'Just for a little while' he thought, placating his conscience before he, too, left the kitchen to greet his guest.

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A/N: There we have it for that story! Hope the ending wasn't boring – I had a lot to tie up! I'd love to know what you thought! I have an idea for yet another sequel, if you guys would be interested in that? Or I could start anew!


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